Harold wrote:Do anyone know anything about this woman Dhyani Ywahoo who claims to be both a Cherokee Chief and a Tibetan Khandro.There are a lot of websites that claim that she's a fake Cherokee. It appears that she claims Dujom Rinpoche gave her the very high title of Khandro.Thanks

If i may be blunt, are you looking for dirt? Looking for dirt rarely helps do anything other than get one or another party really muddy.

To know if a teacher is authentic or not, one must examine them. Use the guidelines in the Words of My Perfect Teacher and examine examine examine. During the examination, its not necessary to drag them through the mud! If the teacher is up on their game, they will be doing this to the potential student.

If people would simply do these small things, a lot of weirdness would not ensue. However we are drama kings and queens and we are monkeys.

We like to fling poo and watch others do the same.

Flinging proverbial poo is just a distraction from the path.

Phenomenon, vast as space, dharmata is your base, arising and falling like ocean tide cycles, why do i cling to your illusion of unceasing changlessness?

Knotty Veneer wrote:Most people I know look at me as if I'm an alien. Secretly, I think they believe it is an excuse for not being able to attract a life partner.

For my part, I just cannot fathom why someone would want to put all their life energy into raising kids. It just seems a crazy thing to do when there is so much to learn and experience in the world.

I made a similar decision, too. I'm watching a lot of my peers get married and having children. I see their debt, commitments and lack of time as kind of crushing. I couldn't live as the semi-nomad that I do if I was hitched, to say nothing of having kids.

Having few commitments and no drama in life leads to equanimity and freedom. If your energy and time is free, you're in a position to be of greater service to others, especially if you have no family commitments.

I have a lot of practice and intellectual goals in mind. Assuming I live long enough, I don't think I could realistically learn a few more languages and do a lot of retreat over the next few decades if I was bound to a career and family.

Knotty Veneer wrote:Most people I know look at me as if I'm an alien. Secretly, I think they believe it is an excuse for not being able to attract a life partner.

For my part, I just cannot fathom why someone would want to put all their life energy into raising kids. It just seems a crazy thing to do when there is so much to learn and experience in the world.

I made a similar decision, too. I'm watching a lot of my peers get married and having children. I see their debt, commitments and lack of time as kind of crushing. I couldn't live as the semi-nomad that I do if I was hitched, to say nothing of having kids.

Having few commitments and no drama in life leads to equanimity and freedom. If your energy and time is free, you're in a position to be of greater service to others, especially if you have no family commitments.

I have a lot of practice and intellectual goals in mind. Assuming I live long enough, I don't think I could realistically learn a few more languages and do a lot of retreat over the next few decades if I was bound to a career and family.

Perhaps the issue is really the right to choose a particular lifestyle outside the social norms whether it be in mainstream society or in Buddhist circles. When I was younger it was "When are you going to get a boyfriend (not girlfriend!)", then "When are you going to get married?", then "When are you going to have children?", then "When are you going to have another child?". This phase finally ended when I made it very clear that I wasn't going to have any more children. These days my decision not to re-partner, not drink alcohol, become vegetarian and not engage in gossip (well, I try) attracts similar quizzical reactions.

The seemingly anti-children attitude in Buddhist circles is one of the reasons I hesitated to get involved in Buddhism in the first place. To me, having children is not so much the issue as the assumed lifestyle that comes with it - the regular job, the big house, car, plasma screen etc etc. Yes, raising children is time consuming and it's probably the hardest thing any of us will ever do but there are, of course, still benefits including teaching very self-centred people like myself how to put others first, how to be flexible and adapt to continually changing circumstances not of your own choosing and producing the next crop of buddhist practitioners.

The dharma is designed specifically to expose your flaws and make you feel terrible.~ Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche

Punya wrote:Perhaps the issue is really the right to choose a particular lifestyle outside the social norms whether it be in mainstream society or in Buddhist circles. When I was younger it was "When are you going to get a boyfriend (not girlfriend!)", then "When are you going to get married?", then "When are you going to have children?", then "When are you going to have another child?". This phase finally ended when I made it very clear that I wasn't going to have any more children. These days my decision not to re-partner, not drink alcohol, become vegetarian and not engage in gossip (well, I try) attracts similar quizzical reactions.

The seemingly anti-children attitude in Buddhist circles is one of the reasons I hesitated to get involved in Buddhism in the first place. To me, having children is not so much the issue as the assumed lifestyle that comes with it - the regular job, the big house, car, plasma screen etc etc. Yes, raising children is time consuming and it's probably the hardest thing any of us will ever do but there are, of course, still benefits including teaching very self-centred people like myself how to put others first, how to be flexible and adapt to continually changing circumstances not of your own choosing and producing the next crop of buddhist practitioners.

I oftentimes joke that this is one of the advantages of being gay! No distraction from children. At least accidental children do not intervene.They are a sexually transmitted dis-ease.

A certain Geshe asked me about my "sang yum" since I am a non-monastic practitioner.I said, "It may surprise you, but I really prefer dakas to dakinis." He laughed quite a bitand replied, "Dakinis are too much trouble, eh?"

Many wanted to marry her but she refused all stating, 'I will go to Kham (eastern Tibet) and there lives a great yogi who is descended from the noble clan of the Kyura race. This yogi I will marry and our sons and daughters and future generations will be extraordinary persons who will benefit all sentient beings by spreading the essence of the Buddha's teachings.

They lived together and in time she gave birth to four sons: Namkhe Wangchuk, Pekar Wangyal, Sonam Pal and Kathung Trushi. These sons were exceptionally intelligent and became scholars on both the temporal and spiritual levels.

Of her four sons, Pekar Wangyal gave birth to four sons. They were Khenpo Dharma, Konchog Rinchen, Tsunpo Bar and Naljor Dorje - of these four, Naljor Dorje became the father of the great Ratnashri Jigten Sumgon, the great Drikungpa, who was the reincarnation of Nagarjuna.

"All memories and thoughts are the union of emptiness and knowing, the Mind.Without attachment, self-liberating, like a snake in a knot.Through the qualities of meditating in that way,Mental obscurations are purified and the dharmakaya is attained."

I don't see the holding hands, but that may be my fault... I simply don't have the karma to see this obvious feature. Nor have I yet seen a rupa featuring yab-yab or yum yum-- my short coming and lack of pure vision, no doubt.I bow to she who sees such sublime secrets.

I don't see the holding hands, but that may be my fault... I simply don't have the karma to see this obvious feature. Nor have I yet seen a rupa featuring yab-yab or yum yum-- my short coming and lack of pure vision, no doubt.I bow to she who sees such sublime secrets.

Harold wrote:Does your teacher, Lama Tharchin Rinpoche APPROVE of the practice of "BODY BLESSINGS" , having SEX with HIS students?

As I have said before I can't speak for my lamas.

The IDEA that SEXUAL contact BETWEEN non-monastic LAMAS and STUDENTS is a BAD idea is OUR concept as WESTERNERS. THAT is EXCEPT for the WESTERN women WHO go to ASIA looking for A LAMA to HAVE sex with.

Yudron wrote:The IDEA that SEXUAL contact BETWEEN non-monastic LAMAS and STUDENTS is a BAD idea is OUR concept as WESTERNERS. THAT is EXCEPT for the WESTERN women WHO go to ASIA looking for A LAMA to HAVE sex with.

I think teachers who use their position to convince students to have sex with them is a bad idea. This is not a simple consensual relationship between consenting adults.

Everyone talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it - Mark Twain.

Yudron wrote:The IDEA that SEXUAL contact BETWEEN non-monastic LAMAS and STUDENTS is a BAD idea is OUR concept as WESTERNERS. THAT is EXCEPT for the WESTERN women WHO go to ASIA looking for A LAMA to HAVE sex with.

I think teachers who use their position to convince students to have sex with them is a bad idea. This is not a simple consensual relationship between consenting adults.

Yes, that is how we look at things here, and --if it really is manipulative--as an American Feminist I certainly agree. I'd like to point out that it is not uncommonly a female disciple that is initiating things. Culturally, the lama would not see it as "using his position to convince students," he would just see it as an invitation for a mutually enjoyable encounter.